Growth

Mindsets:
A Literature Review

Source: http://wordsfrompropagate.com/2015/01/12/expression-of-2014-growth-mindset/

Written by Samantha Walters
Edited by Sam Piha and Rozel Cruz,
Temescal Associates

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . ................................................................................... 3
DEFINING FIXED AND GROWTH MINDSETS .............................................. 3
STUDIES ON MINDSETS ......................................................................... 4
BENEFITS OF A GROWTH MINDSET . ........................................................ 5
DEVELOPING A GROWTH MINDSET: BEST PRACTICES ............................... 6
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ...................................................................... 7
PROGRAMS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND TOOLS THAT USE THE MINDSET CONCEPT
........................................................................................................... 8
APPENDIX . ........................................................................................... 9

I: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH . ........................ 10

II: INFOGRAPHICS ON MINDSETS ..................................................... 11
III: LIAS BLOG POST AND INTERVIEW WITH EDUARDO BRICEO . ......... 16
IV: ABOUT . .................................................................................. 19

Introduction
In the early 20th century Alfred Binet, the inventor of the IQ test, wrote:

A few modern philosophers assert that an individual's intelligence is a fixed quantity, a
quantity which cannot be increased. We must protest and react against this brutal
pessimism.... With practice, training, and above all, method, we manage to increase our
attention, our memory, our judgment and literally to become more intelligent than we
were before.

Today, experts agree that success is not merely found in ones natural ability but rather in their
continuous development of those abilities. Thanks to leaders in a variety of fields like Carol S Dweck,
Gilbert Gottlieb, and Robert Stemberg, there is a growing literature as to the benefits to prescribing to a
growth mindset.

Below, we will discuss what the difference is between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset and how
that effects ones ability to learn and ultimately succeed.

Defining Fixed and Growth Mindsets

"Benjamin Barber, an eminent sociologist, once said, 'I don't divide the world into the weak and the
strong, or the successes and the failures... I divide the world into learners and nonlearners.'

Carol S Dweck, PhD is the leading researcher in the field of motivation and is the scholar behind
mindset. A mindset is a belief about oneself and ones basic qualities1. According to Dweck, there are
two different types of mindsets fixed and growth.23

A person who has a fixed mindset (entity theory of intelligence) believes that their qualities such as
intelligence, creativity, and talent are predetermined and finite, fixed traits. These qualities, or so people
with fixed mindsets believe, are so set that whatever you lack, you will continue to lack.

On the other hand, a person with a growth mindset (incremental theory of intelligence) believes that
their basic abilities can continue to be developed through hard work and dedication. These innate
qualities are just starting points with success being the fruit of effort, learning, and persistence.

In a school setting, fixed and growth mindsets manifest themselves differently4. For one, students who
view intelligence as fixed, they value looking smart above all else and therefore will miss out on critical
learning opportunities if it may result in them performing poorly or admitting deficiencies. Students with
growth mindset meet difficult problems with great relish and value the effort put in. As Dweck wrote,
even geniuses have to work hard to develop their abilities and make their contributions.




1

Source: http://www.mindsetonline.com/whatisit/themindsets/index.html
Dweck states in her book Mindset that 40% of people endorsing growth mindset, 40% the fixed, and the
remainder are in the middle and can not make up their minds.
3
Source: http://www.mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html
4
Source: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Even-Geniuses-Work-
Hard.aspx
2

Studies on Mindsets
Dweck started her academic career at Yale where she studied the motivation of animals and the effects
of learned helplessness. This work led her to contemplate, what makes a really capable child give up
in the face of failure, where other children may be motivated by the failure?5 This question became her
PhD dissertation. To answer it, Dweck and her assistants ran an experiment on elementary school
children with whom school personnel identified as helpless; students who became discouraged after
failure and attributed these failures to lack of ability. Through a series of exercises, Dwecks idea was
supported, attributes were a key ingredient driving success.

Dweck expanded on this thought and eventually shifted attribution theory from an emphasis of
attributional errors and biases to the consequences to why it matters what attributions people make.
Over the next decades, Dweck continued her work. One of the studies conducted by Lisa Blackwell, Kali
Trzesniewski, and Dweck6 involved studying several hundred students in New York City. They measured
the students mind-sets and monitored their grades to see how they coped with challenges. By end of
the first term, despite similar math skills, the students jumped apart in grades. Blackweel et al observed
that students with growth mind sets focused on learning, effort, and were resilient to challenges. On the
other hand, students with fixed mind-set worried about looking smart and being perfect. They tended to
avoid challenges, give up easily, ignore feedback, and be threatened by others success. Over the two
year study, the achievement gap widened and it became evident - students with growth mind set
significantly outperformed their counterparts who held fixed mindsets.

Based on those findings, the trio designed a workshop to teach students a growth mind set. In this study
they divided the students with declining math skills into two groups: the control group would attend
eight sessions of a workshop that taught study skills while the other half would be taught both study
stills and receive training in the growth mind set. The latter learned that their brain was a muscle that
could become stronger if used. This, they were told, would cause their brain to form new connections
and, eventually, make them smarter overtime. The result was clear and the students who were
subjected to the growth mind set workshop showed improvement in their grades. Even without
knowing, the teachers noted an increased motivation to learn from the students who attended the
growth mind set workshop.

Dwecks mindset concept continues to be studied inside and outside of the classroom. Rheinberg, a
research in Germany, measured teachers mind sets as their effect on students. He monitored the
students achievements over the school year. He found that students who had a teacher with fixed
mindsets, the belief that students had fixed intelligence and that they had no influence on their
students intellectual skills, did not improve over the year. If they entered as low achievers, they
remained low achievers. When teachers had a growth mindset their low achieving students improved
their grades to become moderate or even high achievers. Rheinbergs study shows that teachers that
believe their students can learn, and are committed to finding a way to ensure they continue to do so,
can influence not only test scores but overall attitudes towards learning.

Source: https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=32124
Source: https://web.stanford.edu/dept/psychology/cgi-
bin/drupalm/system/files/Implicit%20Theories%20of%20Intelligence%20Predict%20Achievement%20Across%20a
n%20Adolescent%20Transition.pdf
6

Looking outside of the classroom, Dweck has taken her concept to collegiate sports7. At the beginning of
the year, Dweck and colleagues asked athletes if they thought their coaches believed success came from
natural talent or from practice and hard work. Over the year, Dweck noticed that athletes who thought
their coaches believed in hard work over natural talent performed better. The athletes picked up on
their coachs messages and acted on them.

Similar to what was seen on the field, in 1998 Dweck and Mueller8 noted that there can be negative
effects of praising students intelligence as opposed to praising their effort. In this study Dweck and
Mueller gave over 400 fifth graders a relatively easy test consisting of nonverbal puzzles. After the
students finished the test, the researchers told the students their score and gave them a single line of
praise. Half the students were praised on their intelligence, the other half on their effort. The students
were then allowed to choose between two different subsequent tests one more difficult than the
other. Nearly 90% of the students that received praise for their effort choose the harder test.

Next, Dweck and Mueller test the students fear of failure and gave the students yet another test that
was designed to be extremely difficult. During this test, the students who received praise for their effort
worked hard to figure out the puzzle while their counterparts got quickly discouraged. The study
continued with the students been giving the option at either looking at the exams of students who
performed better or worst. Once again, the students who received praise for their hard work were
interested in the higher scoring exams; they wanted to see their mistakes and learn from their errors so
that they may excel next time.

Lastly, Dweck and Mueller readministered the initial test. Students who were praised for their effort
exhibited an improvement, raising their score by 30%. For students who were praised for their
intelligence, they scored 20% lower their then their first time the students regressed.

This study shows that when teachers use personal praise it puts students in a fixed mindset. In other
words, when adults praise natural intelligence or skill over performance, they are sending a fixed
mindset message. On the contrary, adults who praise effort or the strategies it took to achieve
something, are building up students through a growth mindset. This taught students to learn from their
mistakes and challenge themselves, essentially, the mindset to succeed.

Today, Dweck continues to study the effects growth mindset as on students and individuals. She has
conducted studies on peoples brain waves and the efforts of teaching a growth mindset. Through her
software program called Brainology and other iniatives like PERTs, Dweck continues to explore the
power of mindsets and the benefits to changing the way people view their natural talents, creativity,
and intelligence.

Benefits of a Growth Mindset

For students with a growth mindset, the possibilities are endless. Here are just some of the positive
effects a growth mindset has had on students:

Growth mindset training can increase test scores (Blackwell et al., 2007; Yeager and
Dweck, 2012; Good, Aronson, &Inzlicht, 2003).9

7

Source: http://www.principals.org/Content.aspx?topic=61219
Source: http://www.itari.in/categories/ability_to_learn/praise_for_intelligence_can_undermine_childrens.pdf
9
Source: http://www.highpoint.edu/qep/files/2014/08/Growth-Mindset-White-Paper.pdf (bullet points 1 -3)
8

Growth mindedness causes students to use deeper learning strategies and to better
recover from an initial poor grade (Grant and Dweck, 2003)
Growth mindset intervention staged the summer before a students freshman year in
college can increase the percentage of students earning 12+ credits during their first
term (a strong predictor of on-time graduation) from 3-10% (Yeager et al., 2013).
Teaching a growth mind-set seems to decrease or even close achievement gaps. When
Black and Latino students adopt a growth mind-set, their grades and achievement test
scores look more similar to those of their non-stereotyped peers. When female students
adopt a growth mind-set, their grades and achievement test scores in mathematics
become similar to those of their male classmates. In these studies, every group seemed
to benefit from holding a growth mind-set, but the stereotyped groups gained the most
(Aronson et al., 2002; Blackwell et al., 2007; Good et al., 2003). 10

Best Practices
Thanks to Dweck and collaborators work, there is a good understanding of the best practices for
creating a growth mindset in individuals. On Dwecks website, MindsetOnline.com, she lists out the 4
simple steps to change11:

Step 1: Learn to hear your fixed mindset voice.
Step 2: Recognize that you have a choice.
Step 3: Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.
Step 4: Take the growth mindset action.

Echoed throughout many best practices, it is important that the educator has a growth mindset. As
stated by The Origins Program, teaching is most successful when the teacher believes in the capacity of
all people to grow, and when the teacher cultivates in the students a belief in their own growth12.

Dweck and Blackwell developed their own best practices to establishing a classroom as a growth
mindset environment. They are as follows13:

1. Establish high expectations (not just standards). Challenge students so they know that
they have the ability to meet those expectations.
2. Create a risk-tolerant learning zone. Provide an environment that values challenge-
seeking, learning, and effort above perfection.
3. Give feedback focused on process things students can control not their personal
abilities. Avoid praising children for their intelligence and instead focus on explaining the
importance of their actions towards success.
4. Introduce students to the concept of the malleable mind. Show students that our brains
develop through effort and learning.

10

Source: http://www.principals.org/Content.aspx?topic=61219
Source: http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/
12
The Origin Program also includes other important mindsets for teachers to have such as action mindset and
objective mindset. Source:
http://www.originsonline.org/sites/default/files/downloads/classroom_discipline_chapter2.pdf
13
Source:
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2012/10/response_classroom_strategies_to
_foster_a_growth_mindset.html
11

However influencing a growth mindset does not just start and stop in the classroom. Maggie Wray, PhD
utilized Dwecks book to create her own 4 things parents and educators can do to help teens change to a
growth mindset14:

1. Praise them for their effort, not their results.
2. Avoid praising results that required little or no effort
3. Focus on what they can change about their approach in order to do better next time
4. Be a growth mindset role model

Organizations have taken on Dwecks mindset concept to help the kids in their programs. For example,
Step It Up 2 Thrive has their own 3 tips to help youth shape their mindset15:

Tip #1: Promote Effort & Learning
Tip #2: Feed the Brain! Food, Sleep, Exercise, Challenge
Tip #3: Focus!

Other tactics they use include16:

Teaching youth about growth versus fixed mindsets through self-assessment and
discussion.
Discouraging labels (such as smart or dumb) that convey intelligence as a fixed
ability.
Praising effort, strategies and progress, not intelligence or abilities.
Presenting youth with opportunities to be challenged, conveying that challenging
activities are fun, and that mistakes help them learn and improve.

Concluding Thoughts
Through the research conducted by Dweck and her colleagues, the language surrounding education and
intelligence has changed. It is understood that initiate or natural ability does not translate into success.
As written by Gregory Citotti, there are two ways in which talent matters 1) as a head start and 2) in
edge cases where talent adds that little something extra.17 However hard work is the major contributor
to long-term success. In other words, a brain can be taught and can grow.

It is believed that 40% of people have a growth mindset, 40% have a fixed mindset, and the rest, well,
are not too sure. Today, Dwecks mindset concept has been used in all facets of life way beyond the
classroom. Corporations, sports teams, and even love advice18 uses the concept of a growth mindset to
improve their performance and situation. Even scholars outside of the field of psychology are looking to
find the effects of mindsets on the brain and other aspects of life.



14

Source: http://creatingpositivefutures.com/fixed-vs-growth-mindset/
Source: http://www.stepitup2thrive.org/downloads/2-mindset/mindset_parent_brief.pdf
16
Source: http://stepitup2thrive.org/downloads/2-mindset/introduction/2.1-mindset-anchor-paper.pdf
17
Source: http://www.sparringmind.com/growth-mindset/
18
Source: http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/
15

Here are just some of the highlights discussed above19:

The plasticity of the brain: ability and intelligence grow with effort and practice.
The importance of students mindsets for learning: when students believe that
everybodys ability can grow, their achievement improves significantly.
The importance of teachers mindsets for teaching: when teachers believe that
everybodys ability can grow, and they give all students opportunities to achieve at high
levels, students achieve at high levels.
The effects of ability grouping in all its different forms: these grouping practices
communicate damaging fixed mindset beliefs to students.

Programs, Organizations, and Tools that Use the Mindset Concept

Mindset Works is a company with the mission to enable a world in which people seek and are fulfilled
by ongoing learning and growth. Developed by Carol S Dweck, PhD and Lisa Sorich Blackwell, PhD,
Mindset Works products Brainology20 and EducatorKit translate lessons from universities into programs
that schools can use to increase student motivation and learning.

Step-It-Up-2-Thrive, created by Thrive Foundation for Youth, offers a four stage program meant to
motive youth to achieve personal development goals. The second stage focuses on shifting youth to a
growth mindset. By teaching youth that the brain acts as a muscle and how the brain learners, Step-It-
Up-2-Thrive helps youth respond to challenges with effort and strategies. With one-to-one mentoring
sessions and group lessons, youth utilizes the Brain Toolkit to explore the concept of a growth mindset.

The Origins Program is a nonprofit with the mission to promote an equitable and humane multicultural
society through quality education for all. They offer workshops and consulting services as well as
publishes books and resources for school-based study groups. Through their products, such as
Developmental Designs, they focus on helping teachers and other school stakeholders impact their
students.

PERTS is an applied research center at Standard University that works with leading experts on academic
motivation to raise student achievement on a large scale. They work with teachers as well as schools to
help design and implement programs that change the way students approach their education. Currently,
they have created a beta program, MindsetKit.com, geared to providing more resources to educators.
Khan Academy is a nonprofit whose focus is providing a free, world-class education for anyone,
anywhere. They offer practice exercise and instructional videos that empower learners at their own
pace. One of the fundamental thoughts of Khan Academy is you can learn anything which stems from
the research surrounding growth mindsets.

19

Source: http://joboaler.com/pub/14_Boaler_FORUM_55_1_web.pdf
See a video with testimonials of Brainology

20




APPENDIX

I: Resources
II: Infographics on Mindsets
III: LIAS blog post and interview with Eduardo Briceo, CEO of Mindset Works
IV: About

Appendix I: Resources
Videos
With Dweck:

1. TED Talk - The power of believing that you can improve
2. TEDEd - Growth Mindsets and Motivation
3. Young Minds 2013 Teaching a growth mindset
4. With Greg Walton of Stanford University talking about having a growth mindset

Others about Mindsets:
5. Animation About Growth Mindset
6. Khan Academys Growth Mindset Video
7. Overview of Mindset by Greater Good Science Center Video
8. SciShows Your Brain is Plastic
9. How the Seahawks practice the Growth Mindset Video
10. Angela Lee Duckworths TED Talk The key to success? Grit
11. Eduardo Bricenos Tedx Talk mindset and success
12. Carissa Romeros presentation at How Kids Learn IV conference Growth Mindsets

Additional Readings on Mindset and Related-Topics:
1. List of Readings: https://p3.perts.net/resources#readings https://p3.perts.net/about#results
2. Dwecks Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
3. Dweck and colleagues: Growth Mindset and Educational Games
4. Hewlett Foundations Whitepaper on Academic Mindsets
5. UCHICAGOCCSRs The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance
6. Toughs How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
7. GettingSmart.com on Innovation Mindset
8. Nisbetts Intelligence and How to Get it: Why Schools and Cultures Count
9. Impact of Non-cognitive skills: http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/Non-
cognitive_skills_literature_review.pdf

Resource Lists for Additional Information and Tools:
1. http://www.mindsetworks.com/free-resources/
2. http://www.growthmindsetmaths.com/
3. https://engagetheirminds.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/more-growth-mindset-resources/
4. http://www.mindsetkit.org/ (beta resource site by PERTS)
5. http://www.watertowncsd.org/webpages/jschafer/files/mindsets%208%20day%20lp-3.pdf
6. http://survey.perts.net/
7. http://www.megsonline.nt/lee_meg1.pdf
8. http://www.originsonline.org/educator-help#all
9. http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/10/13/the-best-resources-on-helping-our-students-
develop-a-growth-mindset/
10. http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/mindset-works/
11. https://www.teachingchannel.org/deeper-learning-playlist-growth-mindset
12. http://whatkidscando.org/resources/spec_growthmindset.html

10

Appendix II: Infographics on Mindsets

Image Taken From: http://alumni.stanford.edu/content/magazine/artfiles/dweck_2007_2.pdf

11



Image Taken From: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/07/interesting-visual-teacher-with-
growth.html

12


Image Taken From: http://silvanameneghini.com/2014/07/14/teaching-with-student-data-a-growth-
mindset/ (enlarge to see fine print or go to link)

13

Image Taken From: http://www.laurelschool.org/

14


Image Taken From: https://twitter.com/MrsASwenson/status/403365443059982338/photo/1

15

Appendix III: LIAS blog post and interview with Eduardo Briceo, CEO of Mindset
Works21

By Sam Piha

There has been a great deal of buzz about growth mindsets and its impact on young people's learning
and development. Below we offer an interview with Eduardo Briceo.

Eduardo is the CEO of Mindset Works, which he co-founded with Carol Dweck, Lisa Blackwell and others,
to help schools cultivate student ownership of their own learning. With his fellow mindsetters, Eduardo
helps schools build learner capacity and success through practices that instill growth mindset beliefs and
foundational learning skills in students, teachers and the broader community.

We invited Eduardo to speak at our recent How Kids Learn IV conference in San Francisco but he was
unable to attend. We featured a video of Eduardo describing growth mindsets and we highly encourage
our readers to watch it. Eduardo agreed to participate in an interview in lieu of his attending the
conference. His responses are shown below. (Note: Mindset researcher, Carissa Romero at Stanford
University, did present at the How Kids Learn IV conference, and a video of her presentation will be
featured in an upcoming blog.)

The Power of Belief TedX Talk22

Q: There is a lot of buzz about the influence of a growth mindset. For those who are new to this
concept, can you briefly describe what is meant by growth mindset?
A: Yes, growth mindset awareness and practice is multiplying, which is very exciting. Even the U.S.
President and First Lady have incorporated growth mindset language into their speeches!

Discovered by Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, Ph.D., a growth mindset is the understanding that
personal qualities are malleable and that we can develop our abilities. People who understand that they

21

Source: http://blog.learninginafterschool.org/2015/01/growth-mindsets-interview-with-mindset.html
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc&feature=youtu.be

22

16

can grow their intelligence (which is our ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills) and other
abilities, behave in learning-oriented ways. They challenge themselves to learn what they dont already
know, they seek feedback, they reflect, they view effort as something we can all benefit from rather
than as a sign of weakness, they value and learn from mistakes, and they persevere in the face of
setbacks. As a result, they achieve higher rates of growth and success.

Q: What is opposite of a growth mindset?
A: The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset, which is seeing personal qualities as fixed. For
example, when people categorize others as math people, or athletic, or artistic, in fixed ways,
rather than as competencies they have developed over time, or when they see other people as
incapable of developing certain abilities, theyre exhibiting a fixed mindset. People who are in a fixed
mindset tend to want to stay within their comfort zone, they become defensive when they receive
feedback, they view effort as a sign of weakness and inability, they see mistakes as evidence of being
incapable, and they disengage when things get hard. As a result, they dont grow as much as people
with a growth mindset and they achieve lower levels of success.
The great news, is that anybody can develop and strengthen their growth mindsets!

Q: There is research that suggest that a growth mindset is a good predictor of improved learning. Can
you speak to this research?
A: Yes, theres a lot of research that show that people with a growth mindset learn and improve more,
and as a result they reach higher levels of ability and success. There is a deep and growing body of
research on this, in domains as varied as K-12 education, higher education, the workplace, sports,
health, and relationships. Several of these studies can be accessed from Carol Dweck, Ph.D.s Stanford
profile page. Another great literature review that summarizes this body of research in K-12 education is:
Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners (Farrington et. al.).

Q: How are mindsets developed?
A: Mindsets are beliefs. Theyre developed like any other beliefs: from our observations of the world,
ourselves, and people around us. When other people believe that abilities are fixed, they tend to say
and do things that reflect those beliefs and that lead us and others to view abilities as fixed. For
example, if we hear other people talking about who is smart, or attributing our success to being smart, it
conveys that intelligence is fixed, which is a fixed mindset. When our bosses dont believe people can
improve and as a result dont give and receive constructive feedback, it leads us to believe that people
cant improve. When we see IQ as something that is fixed, rather than as what it was intended for (to
measure cognitive abilities at any point in time), it leads us to foster a fixed mindset.

We can cultivate growth mindsets by learning that intelligence and abilities are malleable. We can learn
the scientific background behind the plasticity of the brain, or how experts develop their high levels of
expertise, and how we can do the same. We can undertake learning oriented behaviors and measure
our progress over time. And we can support one another in our growth journeys. This is a lifelong
undertaking. If you want to learn more about other strategies, you can start your journey by subscribing
to our growth mindset newsletter, or reading the article Mindsets and Student Agency or Carol Dwecks
book Mindset, or taking the Mindset Works EducatorKit growth mindset teacher training course, or
doing the Brainology curriculum with your students.

Q: Does it take a long time to help kids develop a growth mindset?
A: Research shows quick effects from growth mindset interventions, but developing a growth mindset,
and more broadly becoming a better and better learner, is a lifelong journey. If we reflect throughout

17

our lives about our habits and whats working and not, we will always continue to improve, to
strengthen our mindsets, and to become more effective learners. The schools that we serve at Mindset
Works put a lot of effort to building and deepening growth mindset cultures, which is not a quick fix, is a
way of being and aligning as a community.

Q: What can leaders in out-of-school time do to promote a growth mindset in their youth programs?
A: Lots! As mentioned above, they can teach the scientific background behind the plasticity of the brain,
or how experts develop their high levels of expertise, and how we can do the same. They can speak
with students in growth mindset language, teach them how to give and receive growth-oriented
feedback and other learning strategies, and help them self-assess their progress and strategies over
time.

Q: Are there resources that are available to learn more about the practical application of this
research? Where would you send interested out-of-school workers to find these resources?
A: Certainly! Our whole Mindset Works website is devoted to that. You can find free-resources
including our growth mindset newsletter, and you can register for our Mindset Works EducatorKit
teacher training course or Brainology curriculum. Check out Carol Dwecks book Mindset. Happy
learning!

18

Appendix IV: About

Temescal Associates and the Authors
Temescal Associates is a private consulting firm and will serve as the primary consultant for this project.
Temescal is dedicated to building the capacity of leaders and organizations in education and youth
development who are serious about improving the lives of young people. We serve our clients by
offering gifted and highly experienced consultants who excel at eliciting the internal knowledge and
wisdom of those they work with while introducing new knowledge and strategies that can transform the
day-to-day practices that lead to improved youth outcomes.
Rozel Cruz is Project and Office Management Consultant at Temescal Associates. She has a long history
in working with non-profits. She joined Temescal Associates in 2010 and currently serves as a consultant
focusing on Project and Office Management.
Sam Piha is the Founder and Co-Director of Temescal Associates. Sam began his career in 1974 as an
afterschool worker, an experience that led to 10 years of classroom teaching, and later work as a child
and family counselor and school social worker. Between 1989 and 2001, Sam developed and managed
school-based youth programs at the regional and national levels. When California began its
unprecedented expansion of state-funded afterschool programs, Sam help shape the growing
afterschool movement in California. He chaired and served on several key state committees and joined
with others to build a state-wide system of support for new programs, align state afterschool policies
with youth development principles, and successfully support the launch of the states After School
Safety and Education for Teens, a large state-wide high school afterschool initiative.

Sam has served as editor and contributing author of several important practice guides and journal
articles on afterschool programming. Sam holds a Masters Degree in Social Welfare, and is a Licensed
Clinical Social Worker.

Samantha Walters is Research Consultant at Temescal Associates. While getting her B.A. in Sociology
from the University of Arizona, Samantha started working as a Social Media Strategist for a nonprofit
organization. This experience led her to create her own Social Media Consulting firm and pursue a
Masters degree in Social Entrepreneurship and Change from Pepperdine University.

About the Expanded Learning 360/365 Project: Skills for Success in School,
Work, and Life
Expanded Learning: 360/365 is a collaborative project of the California School-Age Consortium (CalSAC),
the Partnership for Children and Youth (PCY), ASAPconnect, and Temescal Associates/Learning in
Afterschool & Summer (LIAS).
This project is based on two strongly held beliefs:
1.

2.

In order for children to grow into healthy and productive citizens, they must learn and practice a wide
variety of inter-related skills - social-emotional, character as well as academic hence the term
360, and
Children learn in a variety of settings and year-round. This includes formal settings, such as school,
and informal settings, such as afterschool, extracurricular, and summer youth programs - hence the
reference to 365.

19

This project is dedicated to promoting the development of critical skills beyond academics that research
has identified as essential to young peoples success in school, work, and life.
Background
In the last decade, research on learning and the brain, and the impact of social-emotional and character
skills, has expanded our understanding of learning. Currently, we are witnessing a significant pivot from
a narrow focus on academic performance measured by standardized reading and math test scores to a
broader perspective of young peoples development that includes and promotes social-emotional and
character skills. This shift is reflected by the new Common Core State Standards, the CORE Waivers
focus on social-emotional accountability, and Expanded Learning Quality Standards being developed in
many states.
How Expanded Learning 360/365 Will Support Learning
In order to see this change successfully executed, Expanded Learning 360/365 will help policymakers,
district and school leaders and expanded learning providers better identify and integrate social-
emotional and character skills into their work with young people. We will accomplish this by:

Clearly defining the role that expanded learning plays in social-emotional and character skill
development,
Promoting that school and expanded learning leaders work together to integrate teaching strategies
around these skills across the school day and into expanded learning time,
Working with policymakers and district leaders to integrate these ideas into the policies that guide
and govern schools and expanded learning programs, and
Identifying and developing trainings and curriculum for school and expanded learning staff that
include best practices for supporting these skills in their young people.

Toward these ends, Expanded Learning 360/365 will partner with researchers and practitioners to
provide advice on the development of policy and educational materials, the use of effective curricula,
and training content and approaches for schools and expanded learning programs.
How to Access Resources from the Expanded Learning 360/365 Project
The resources and tools developed through this project will be available on our website:
www.expandedlearning360-365.com. Please note that this website is currently under construction.
Please check back in the near future.

20